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Spurs fan Sam in world spotlight

Posted on 25 September 2015
- 13:30

Go back a year, and Sam Warburton spoke to Spurs TV about 'a huge year ahead' on the rugby calender.

That was after our 1-0 home victory against Southampton at the Lane as the Wales and triumphant 2013 British Lions captain prepared for the Autumn internationals of 2014, the 2015 Six Nations and finally, the 2015 World Cup.

Even then, the small matter of England against Wales in World Cup Pool A was on Sam and every England and Wales rugby player and fan's mind.

“The Wales-England game, for the players on both sides, will be the one of the biggest games they’ve ever played in from the atmosphere, the hype, the press, the fans," Sam told us. "That game will be a target for every English and Welsh player, and a massive occasion."

We last saw Sam just a day after England beat Wales 21-16 in the Six Nations on February 6. We cheered him up with a victory over Arsenal in the Premier League. Wales, England and Ireland all finished on eight points with four wins in five but Ireland took the trophy.

Now the match everyone has been waiting for has arrived. Just hours after we take on City in a huge Premier League encounter at the Lane, England host Wales at Twickenham at 8pm. It's arguably the biggest game between home nations since Ireland met Wales in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup and with it on home soil, one of the biggest ever.

England opened with a 35-11 win against Fiji last Friday while Sam led his side to a comfortable 54-9 win against Uruguay on Sunday.

Now it's crunch time.

Speaking on BBC's Scrum V, Sam said this week: "The game has been at the back of most of these players' minds for the last three years, since the pool was drawn. People have been talking about it in Wales for the last three years, it's the one people have been looking forward to.

"It's probably going to be the highest-profile game including the Lions' matches that some of the boys have played in and from a profile perspective is probably the biggest game any of us will play in.

"We're used to the big stage, a lot of our players, and that will be an advantage."